>> i think that the economy dodged a bullet with hurricane sandy in a way we really weren't expecting. we were really expecting to see that hit much harder because it hit the week that they were taking the survey. the real concern with the economy now that you're hearing fl folks like mark zandy is that it's not consumers that are not spending, it's employers who are spending. business investment has been down year over year in the last two quarters as people do not, you know, invest in equipment or buy software because they have no idea what's happening to their tax rates in january. that's where people get nervous about what's going on. >> the uncertainty? >> yeah. >> blake, if there is a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, could these jobs numbers get considerable better? >> i think so, but it's funny. the republicans are in a bit of a box here. their motivation is to say it's not so good. a lot of jobless people out there. we have a real problem. meanwhi meanwhile, we have fiscal cliff negotiations where the president wants stimulus mechanisms including an extension of unemp